Mitsuoka, the Japanese coachbuilder that makes its living reskinning other companies' cars, is about to release the LA1. Underneath it is a current Mazda MX-5. On top of it is a 1950s Corvette.
It debuts on November 26, and it is expected to be a limited run for Japan only.
What they changed
Nearly every exterior panel. The front gets a quad headlight arrangement, a chrome bumper, a larger grille with cooling intakes, a vented hood, and a splitter. Down the side there are decorative gills with matching door decals, which together trace the swooping character line that defines a C1 Corvette, plus chrome side skirts.
The back is the biggest departure from the Mazda. The taillights move onto the quarter panels, there is a vintage-style bumper, and the trunk lid is custom with Mitsuoka lettering. The retractable soft top carries over from the donor car.
Mechanically it should be a Miata. Mitsuoka has not published specifications, but the ND is sold in Japan with a 1.5-liter four making 130 hp and a 2.0-liter making 181 hp, with a six-speed manual or an automatic. Price and production numbers have not been announced.
Mitsuoka has done this before
The LA1 is the second Corvette the company has built on a Miata. The 2018 Rock Star used the same platform and borrowed from the C2 instead, and Takanori Aoki designed both cars.
That is the whole Mitsuoka business. The Viewt turned a Nissan Micra into a small Jaguar, and the Himiko stretched a Miata into a long-nosed British roadster. The company takes a reliable mass-market car, keeps the parts that make it work, and replaces everything you look at.
Sources:
The LA1's design details, debut date, and link to the Rock Star: Carscoops
Additional coverage of the C1-inspired roadster: Motor1
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Jeffrey Wiley has spent more time than he'd like to admit thinking about what makes a car look right. He writes about automotive design, car culture, and the opinions people have strong feelings about. He lives in north Georgia.
